spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell

26th book of 2021

First book in Spellslinger series

Reading period: Mar 21th 2021

Summary

There are three things that earn you a man’s name among the Jan’Tep. The first is to demonstrate the strength to defend your family. The second is to prove you can perform the high magic that defines our people. The third is simply to reach the age of sixteen. I was a few weeks shy of my birthday when I learned that I wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

Magic is a con game. 

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi – a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She’s difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen’s only hope…

Rating

Review

Where to start? I saw this book last year and was hesitant to buy it; I found the cover stunning, but I was afraid of the summary. However, I decided to trust my guts and guess what? I liked it a lot, and I cannot wait to continue this series.

I found the world-building smartly done as you don’t have all the information right away, but you discover more as you’re reading. And it’s like that until the end. This story has a complex world with plenty of different systems as you have other realms. Even if we discover only one and have some insight into the others, I hope we will have more in-depth elements as the series continues.

I found the main characters (Kellen and Ferius) complementary, and I like the duo they form. They are a bond between them that I like, and it felt like a family. Can we talk about the squirrel cat? I just want one now. I like this quirky, feral and sarcastic animal. It had a lot, and he seemed to be more human than some human in this book.

I will not talk about the Jan-Tep and disliked them from the beginning to the end of the book; that’s why I am so happy with the ending.

I think it’s a great first book and that the following ones will be great, I cannot wait!

Liz.